Yash Dhull, the captain of India under-19 team is a special talent and got the right temperament to go the distance.
He has so far scored one century and three half centuries in the ICC Under-19 World Cup, two in the warm-up games against West Indies and Australia and other against South Africa, where he scored 82 before he was run out, and his century coming in the semi-finals against Australia on a spinning wicket. Electing to bat first, India had lost both their openers, but Dhull led the team from the front and along with Shaikh Rasheed steadied the ship for the Men in Blue.
His biggest strength is his short selection, which is he gets more often right, and once he gets his eye in, he looks very composed and rotates the strike at will. So far no bowler has dismissed him, after being run out again against Australia, and ensures that he finishes the game and does not throw it away. His strikerate is around 80, which is very good on the slow and low wickets of West Indies.
He had tested positive for Covid-19 after the first game, but recovered well in time and carried on his good form leading from the front. The more I see him batting, he reminds me of Virat Kohli, who has a solid temperament and reads the game well and plays every ball on merit and rotates strike, which is his biggest skill. His chanceless 110 off 110 balls has strengthened India’s chances of making it to their fourth straight finals in the Under-19 World Cup. Only time will tell, but India has found yet another talent who leads from the front.
